Adjustable file-cabinet partition.



PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903.

ADJUSTABLE FILE CABINET PARTITION.

APPLIOAIION FILED FEB. EFL 1903.

N0 MODEL.

WlTEEEEE,

NITED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC H. ATHEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO RAILWAY-COMMER- CIAL CABINET AND FILE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE FILE-CABINET PARTITION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 748,335, datedIDecember 29, 1903. Application filed February 24,1903. Serial 144,673. (Ilo model.)-

To whom it may concern:

partition which maybe adjusted at any time after a drawer-cabinet has been built and which adjustability shall be susceptible of infinite or close variations as to widths, andin its modified form, lengthsofdrawers supz'o ported therein, to meet varying requirements of the business, the relative positions of various classes of drawers or sizes.

Another object is to provide a partition which while adjustable shall have a firmhold upon its supports and which shall be of simple design, involving inexpensive parts that do notadd materially to the cost of the cabinet.

The invention consists, generally speaking,

of a partition having horizontal drawergrooves and means parallel with said grooves for fastening the partition tosuitable supports in the cabinet.

The invention further consists in a parti 5 tion provided with clamping-rails and means for forcing said rails toward each other to cause same togrip suitable fixed supports in the cabinet.

The invention further consists in a'pair of 0. clamping-rails mountedon two opposite edges of saidzpartition and provided with indenting means at their ends, whereby said ends may be caused to take a secure hold on the supports therefor, and means for forcing said 5 clamping-rails toward each other and upon said fixed supports. a

The invention further consists in an expansible or contractile partition made in two parts movable toward and fromeach other in the same plane in guides or channel-irons and means between said parts and channelirons for clamping the latter upon oppositelydisposed supports.

The invention further consists in a partition provided with clamps for securing said partition to fixed supports,aseries of drawer guide-grooves, and means for forcing said clamps toward each other to tighten or release their hold upon said fixed supports.

The invention further consists in a twopart partition occupying a single plane, said parts being movable toward each other in said plane, a series of drawer guide-grooves, and meansfor clamping said partition at its corners upon aseries of fixed supports inany position upon said supports.

The invention further consists in a partition provided with a pair of clamping-rails upon opposite edges of said partition, said rails being curved around the edges of the partition, a pair of connecting-rods having oppositely-threaded adjacent ends, and a sleeve-nut connecting said ends; and the invention further consists in the various details of construction and combinations of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accom panying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and 8c in Which- Figure l is a. front elevation of a cabinet provided with four partitions embodying my invention, a series of drawers being shown between two of said partitions. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is a still further enlarged view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 with the cabinet omitted. Fig. 4. is a central fragmental view substantially on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with theexception that the partition proper is shown in two parts; and

Fig; 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the exception that the former is a section of the construction shown in Fig. 5, while the latter is 5 a section through the construction shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 2 represents the upper and lower portion of a plain box-form cabinet having a rear wall 3. Secured to the upper :00

and lower portions 2 of the cabinet are cleats, ledges, ribs, or strips 4. 4, which constitute tions being clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5,

which leaves reduced sides 6 or cutting edges adapted to slightly indent the cleats 4:, whereby slipping of the partition is prevented when the rails 6 have been drawn toward each other or forced upon the cleats 4 by means of the threaded rods 11 11, contracted or expanded by means of the sleeve-nut 12, in threaded engagement with the threaded ends 13 13. The sleeve-nut 12 is preferably provided with a short lever 12, projecting through both sides of the nut, for which and the nut 12 apertures 14 and 14 are provided in the integral partition-body 9 and the divided portions 10 10, respectively. The heads 15 15 of the rods 11 11 are preferably countersunk in the rails 6, as shown in Fig. 3. In the sides of the partitions 8 and 9 are continuous grooves 8 and registering grooves 1O 10, respectively, for a suitable projecting bottom edge or slide portion of the drawers l7. (Shown in Fig. 1.) The rails 6 are loosely mounted upon the edges of the partition and are held in place only by the rods 11 11. The partitions 8 and 9 are cut out, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, at their respective corners for the cleats 4.

From the foregoing description it will be tightening the nut 12.

While my partition is well adapted for.

drawers having the Well-known slide edges 16, thereby saving loss of space between the drawers 17, it is also adapted for the common form of side strip nailed, screwed, or dovetailed into partitions, which strips may be so cured in the slots 8' and 10 by either of the;

methods named and in the case of a dovetail joint said slots slightly modified accordingly.

Ordinarily the changes in file-cabinets made necessary by increase or the exigencies of a business are chiefly in the sizes of drawers,

and my invention makes possible the con-.

form of partition shown in Fig. 5 expansion as to length of drawers is also provided for,

in which case'of course rails 6 would have to be made of greater comparative length than that shown in the figures, although otherwise exactly the same as illustrated.

From the foregoing it will be evident that my invention is capable of numerous other adaptations and also that modifications may be made in the minor details thereof by one skilled in the art without departing from the .spirit of my invention, which I therefore do not confine to the specific construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a cabinet, of oppositely-disposed supporting-ledges extending longitudinally of said cabinet, a partition having oppositelydisposed movable edges, and adjustable means for clam pingsaid led ges between said edges.

2. The combination, with a cabinet, of a series of parallel ledges extending longitudi nally of said cabinet, a partition having its corners arranged adjacent to said ledges, and fastening means upon said partition adjustable upon said ledges.

3. The combination, with a cabinet, of a series of parallel supporting-ledges extending longitudinally of said cabinet, a movable partition, and supporting means arranged substantially in the planes of the edges of said partition for securing same to said ledges.

4:. The combination, with a cabinet, of a series of parallel ledges extending longitudinally of said cabinet, a partition having its corners adjacent to said ledges, and means operable substantially in the middle portion of said partition for securing same upon said ledges at all of its corners.

5. The combination, with a cabinet provided with a series of parallel cleats or rails, of a rectangular partition provided with edge clamps and means for contracting the latter to grip said cleats or rails between said clamps.

6. The combination, with a cabinet, of four parallel supports in said cabinets, a partition, a clamp embracing opposite edges of said partition and supports, and means for contracting said clamp upon said supports.

7. The combination, with a cabinet, having suitable supports therein, of an independent partition, and expansible and contractible clamping means operable at a single point for fastening said partition at each of its corners by frictional engagement only with said supports.

8. The combination,with a cabinet provided with supporting-ledges extending longitudinally within said cabinet, of a partition having a pair of movable edge'rails and means for clamping the ends of said rails upon said ledges and at right angles thereto.

9. The combination, with a four-sided cabinet provided with supporting-ledges extend- IIO a partition expansible toward all of said sides and means for fastening said partition upon said ledges at right angles thereto.

10. The combination, with a four-sided cabinet provided with supporting-ledges extending along the angles formed by said sides, of a partition, means for expanding said partition toward all of said sides, and means for fastening the ends of two of the edges of said partition upon said ledges.

11. The combination, with a four-sided cabi- M net, of a series of parallel ledges extending along the angles-formed by said sides, of a partition having all of its four sides movable toward and from each other, and means for clamping said partition upon said ledges.

12. The combination, with a four-sided cabinet, of a series of four parallel ledges secured theret0,-a partition expansible toward all of said four sides, and means for contracting two of its sides or edges upon said ledges.

13. In a file-cabinet partition, the combination, with suitable projecting cleats or rails,

. of a partition-wall, a pair of clamping-rails upon opposite edges of said wall and means for forcing the rails toward each other and clamping the ends thereof upon said projecting cleats or rails.

14. In a file-cabinet partition, the combination with suitable supporting-strips, of a partition wall provided with drawer guidegrooves, suitable clam ping-rails parallel with said grooves and upon opposite edges of said wall adapted to be supported at their ends upon said strips, and means for forcing said rails into fixed engagement with said strips.

15. In a file-cabinet partition, the combination, with a series of fixed cabinet-supporting 

